The University of Texas at Austin is one of our nation's finest public universities. Many factors contribute to its excellence but high on the list are our outstanding faculty, a dedicated and excellent staff, and a student body made up of the brightest and most capable students in our nation. Another vital factor is outstanding leadership on our campus and this starts with the recruitment of visionary deans who have a passion for excellence in education and research. In this context, I am delighted with the results of our three recent dean searches: Dr. Randy Diehl in the College of Liberal Arts, Dr. M. Lynn Crismon in the College of Pharmacy and, most recently, Dr. Douglas Dempster in the College of Fine Arts. It is a great privilege to work together with our newest deans as well as all our excellent deans, chairs, directors, faculty, staff and students as we build new initiatives and support existing ones across the University.

Steven Leslie